FIELD COLLECTION DEVICE TRACKING

• US 20130226642A1
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TATA Consultancy Services Limited (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TATA Consultancy Services Limited (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mani, Jayasekar, Singh, Rajesh Ramnath
• Application Number:
  US13/774,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) for field collections and tracking of field collection devices are described herein. In an implementation, a field collection device tracking system (102) may authenticate a field collector based on login details received from a field collection device (104). Based on the authentication, the field collection device tracking system (102) may communicate information associated with a field collection activity for at least one customer to the field collection device (104). Subsequent to the communication of the information, the field collection device tracking system (102) may track a location of the field collection device (104) and monitor at least one status attribute of the field collection device (104). The at least one status attribute includes a battery status of the field collection device (104).

Claims

1. A method for tracking at least one field collection device, the method comprising:

receiving login details from the at least one field collection device associated with a field collector;

authenticating the field collector for a field collection activity based on the login details;

communicating information associated with the field collection activity for at least one customer, wherein the communicating is based on the authentication;

tracking a location of the at least one field collection device; and

monitoring at least one status attribute of the at least one field collection device, wherein the at least one status attribute comprises a battery status of the at least one field collection device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising obtaining at least one identification detail of the at least one field collection device, and a Subscriber Identification Module and wherein the authentication is based on the at least one identification detail.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising marking an attendance of the field collector based on the login details.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communicating is further based on at least one allocation parameter, and wherein the at least one allocation parameter comprises one of an Account to Collector Ratio (ACR), End Net Receivable (ENR), Vintage Bands, Bucket and Cycle Mapping, and Pin Ranking.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communicating is further based on at least one re-allocation parameter, and wherein the at least one re-allocation parameter comprises at least an attendance of the field collector.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communicating is within a pre-defined time range.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information associated with the field collection activity comprises at least one customer identification attribute and at least one account attribute associated with the at least one customer.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tracking further comprises determining:

a route and time taken by the field collector to reach the at least one customer; and

time taken by the field collector for the field collection activity associated with the at least one customer.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising determining a performance factor associated with the field collector based on at least one of the tracking and the field collection activity of the field collector.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one status attribute further comprises one of a signal strength at the at least one field collection device and a software update status of the at least one field collection device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining, from the at least one field collection device, at least one transaction detail associated with the at least one customer; and

sending a receipt, to the at least one field collection device, based on the at least one transaction detail.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one transaction detail comprises amount collected, amount leftover, mode of payment, customer signature, and account number.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

creating a report based on the at least one transaction detail; and

determining a performance factor associated with the field collector based on the report.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising receiving a feedback from the at least one customer.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising determining a performance factor associated with the field collector based on the feedback.

16. A system for tracking at least one field collection device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising;

an authentication module configured to;

receive login details from the at least one field collection device associated with a field collector; and

authenticate the field collector for a field collection activity based on the login details;

an allocation module configured to communicate information associated with the field collection activity for at least one customer, wherein the communication is based on the authentication; and

a tracking module configured to;

track a location of the at least one field collection device; and

monitor at least one status attribute of the at least one field collection device, wherein the at least one status attribute comprises a battery status of the at least one field collection device.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the tracking module is further configured to determine:

a route and time taken by the field collector to reach the at least one customer; and

time taken by the field collector for the field collection activity associated with the at least one customer.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising a generation module configured to:

obtain, from the at least one field collection device, at least one transaction detail associated with the at least one customer; and

send a receipt, to the at least one field collection device, based on the at least one transaction detail.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the generation module is further configured to:

create a report based on the at least one transaction detail; and

determine a performance factor associated with the field collector based on the report.

20. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method comprising:

sending, to a system for tracking at least one field collection device, login details of a field collector for authentication;

requesting for information associated with a field collection activity based on the authentication;

obtaining, in response to the request, the information associated with the field collection activity for at least one customer;

communicating a location attribute and at least one status attribute associated with the at least one field collection device, wherein the at least one status attribute comprises a battery status.